my dad was a janitor at a school and he hated the fact that every day he hauled four large steel garbage cans full of food out to the dump. He set up an exchange table and if there was anything in your lunch that you did not want you put it on the table and if you were hungry you went to the table and helped yourself. Those four cans were cut down to less than half a garbage can.
What a wonderful man, your Dad was! He probably would not have been allowed to do that today - what a shame! Thank you for sharing that. I retired from Virginia State Corrections 8 years ago. The last few years , I was the supervising correctional officer in the Mess Hall. It is appalling how much 'good' food is throw in the garbage - enough to feed All the homeless people! I would have to be @ the back door when shipments of food, pallets of beautiful fresh tropical fruits & vegetables came in [much of it donated] Most of which many cannot afford to buy!! I would like your Dad see all the huge cans of wasted food being throw out! These are convicted felons that cost the Virginia tax payer $38,000 a year Minimum to house, & they throw food away like it's used chewing gum!!!
Lyn Hanna what a wonderful idea your grandfather had. Kids are so wasteful, and sometimes others are hungry and this was a fantastic way to get them fed well!!! Great story to share even today
My kids always pack. They told me they are forced to take items they don't want/like because it comes with the lunch. If they don't like it, it goes in the trash. Wasted food for sure.
My garden saves me. money. I canned 134 qts of green beans not to mention the corn, squash, okra, and peppers I put up. I made 23 jars of jelly from one plum tree. I made pickles, pickled okra, pickled peppers. I am eating turnip greens and freezing some for later. I have a lot of herbs and onions. In the summer I eat breakfast out of my yard. I pick cherry tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, plums or apples. I buy a head of lettuce and salad dressing and I have everything else for a huge salad from asparagus to kale to arugula, peppers, cukes, spinach,tomatoes, and herbs. You can take one tomato seed and produce numerous plants by rooting some stems. I even have black pepper plants indoors
My grandparents grew their own food in a garden at home and guess what. They sprayed it with pesticides to keep the bugs off. My cousin grows her own veggies and fruit right now and uses pesticides bc if she doesn't she wont have any food bc the bugs eat it all. Organic is over rated.
I’m Irish and growing up in the 70s and 80s there definitely wasn’t a lot of money, also this was during the “Troubles” So meals were carefully planned and very nutritious. A pot of homemade soup cost around £1 and would feed a family of 4 for two days. Boiled potatoes with it was very filling. Then for the next two days it was minced stew, and this could be curried which tastes amazing. Liver was also on the menu which was lovely and a chicken dinner for Sunday’s. My mums careful spending never saw our food shopping go over £6, and now I’ve carried what she did into my home life. It can be done ppl. Have a price set and don’t deviate. Do your weekly menu and don’t deviate. Great video. Peace and blessings from Ireland 🇮🇪
I love the challenge of cutting back and like yourself I am Irish and we never went hungry, in fact we were well looked after but my mother taught me how to budget and not to waste which I am sure you will agree was frowned upon. I have forwarded that to my own children. I would rather spend my money on family outings and holidays than stuff that will end up in the bin and I am not afraid to say no if I think something is a waste of money. My daughter is now 12 and prides herself on how she can save money either in the school canteen or the shops lol!
I'm of Irish, Scottish, and English stock. I love old folk music and I'm a gardener. I shudder to think of all the people who starved during the Irish holocaust as well as the people starving in Venezuela. I always have food growing year round. I can food, freeze food, dehydrate food and overwinter a few things indoors. I also keep a minimum one year supply and I always have an abundance of seeds. I have fruit, nut, and berry plants. I plant perennial foods too. I also regrow from my groceries like celery, carrots, potatoes😀. Every month I add to my resources. I don't want to wake up in a world of shit with no toilet paper.
Erin Go Brah!!!, having said that, I have never set foot on 🇮🇪 however; I am Irish on both sides of my family Wicklow and Mayo. I learned how to live frugally from my humble upbringing.
I admire the close mum/daughter relationship, sensible tips and self confidence and the immense pride you have in what you do. Kudos to mum who has a awesome personality. Really admirable !!!
We lived on groceries of $3.00 a week for about 3 months. Bought bags of potatoes when on sale for $1.00 for a 10 lb bag of potatoes (at the little rancho style market, they were pretty much always $0.99 for a 10 lb bag), a bit of oil and occasional seasonings to be had for $0.25 to 50 cents every now and then. Yeah not the healthiest choice but when in a pinch. We'd basically eat one meal a day in the evening but if there were any leftover potatoes at the end of the week, we'd make some hash browns for breakfast. Now mind you, this fed 2 people. Now that we are both well employed and making decent money, I think back to those days of old and realize just how wasteful we have become again. I cleaned out the fridge the other week and saw just how much leftovers were sitting in there ready to go in the bin. We would have just about killed to have the leftovers that we've now been tossing instead of using. Definitely time to wake up and stop wasting so much.
I was overpacking my childs lunch and he himself said at one point,please dont send so much with me to eat.i cant eat that much and even if i am that hungry -we don't really have enough time to eat as it is.
side note- he had told me that he wasn't "allowed" to keep the uneaten items in his lunch to bring back home.The school staff had the students throw away what wasnt eaten.
AUTUMN FIRESIDE Its such a tragedy that we have a society of waste. We need to teach basic skills like gardening, home-cooking, sewing and home ec. So important for so many anymore.
I would not stand for that. Uneaten items from your child's lunch are his property and the school staff has NO right to force him to throw it out. Seriously, this is unacceptable.
How many people were fed each day...I had to do the same thing for five little ones. I still use the same "deodorant" I used fifty years ago...Half Corn Starch, Half Baking Soda, sifted onto wax paper, then poured into a clean cottage cheese container with the lid. Take enough toilet paper so that it makes a nice cushy square. Use that the way you'd use a power puff and dab that on your clean underarms. I can't use regular deodorant because it makes me itch and turns my skin red. My homemade stuff doesn't. It's free. If you don't know the benefits of baking soda, then google up "Baking Soda." SO Many uses...you'll be surprised. If you don't want to "sift," no big deal, just use a fork to stir it up good, put the lid on, and shake it hard...little lumps will disappear. When I ran out of soap for dishes and laundry, baking soda was my go to solution. It's really cheap, and cuts grease and dirt. Also had a backyard garden. I didn't have debt...just an ex-husband who wouldn't pay child support, and as he told the judge..."I don't live there anymore, so why should I pay the house payment?" The Judge said, "Bayliff, escort this man to a holding cell with the rest of the prisoners." He got thirty days out of that escape. His parents brought groceries over, and paid back utility bills. They left him sitting in jail. He thought for sure the would pull him out of that situation...but they didn't. Everybody has a story to tell about their lean days. Lean days gives us character. Cheers, thanks for reading, even though I got off topic. 3/5/18.
Please post more of your provision struggle actions. My mom was a single parent after a similar dad to the one your kids had. His family was not around and my mom's family stood in judgement because they had told her not to marry him in the first place. They later helped us some but they equated help with complete control and so we moved away to a place that did not know us and my mom worked on education. My mom is gone now and I am so nostalgic to remember her struggle and love hearing stories about the times of scarcity
Wow! I admire your mother. She is amazing!! That is exactly what a mother is supposed to do in such a situation. It was hard but she pulled through making sure her kids were taken care of. I applaud you!
I found this video helpful for myself. For me personally what spoke to me is how stress is more harmful to buying the "perfect" type of food for my family. I remember hearing that no matter how "healthy" you eat the consistent high levels of stress we are in/do to ourselves will undo almost health benefits from "healthy" food.
Hi girls, you reminded me of my growing up years, my father died when I was 8 and my brother 4, my mother was a widow at 28. Sooo, we never had juice, pop or anything of the sort. Some years ago my mother reminded me of a funny story, a school friend of mine invited me for tea, we are a tea drinking country. So when I came home I told my mother that my friends family were very rich, millionairs I screamed, but what happened, my mother asked me, did they have gold forks and spoons? I said, noooo, its mote than that, my mother asked agai, so tell me, and I stood up and said, they served pastries at tea time. Hahahaha, in my house we had onions, potatoes, carrots, meat once a week and chicken once a week, the rest were vegetable dishes, my mother didnt even buy butter, or jam, or ham and cheese, or anything of the sort. It was so funny, mu grandchildren cannot believe we were happy. We didnt even have tv. I am now 72 years, so I am speaking of the very olden days....❤❤❤
U R forgetting little scraps of different meats with little rice added and Vegetables in the meat juice make wonderful soups or even add small amounts of pasta
Get yourself some plastic jugs and fill them with water to fill up the room when your fridge isn't full. The cold water helps maintain the low temp and saves you electricity.
Laura Anguiano I do the same I try to buy just what I need for the week, most of the times it is on sale items. I would not be truthful however if I said we did not occasionally buy stuff that we wanted, and I have no guilt about that cause we have been blessed. I believe one hundred percent in budgeting and managing your finances if we didn't we would not have a roof over our heads etc. But I also do not suscribe to the mentallity of always living like you broke I hear to many people who I know have the means cry broke and live a very improvised life by choice. I feel this is a sin onto God and the Blessings He has given us. My philosophy is simple, be grateful for each day, do the best you can each day for yourself and others, put aside something for the unknown and leave the rest in God's hands.
Thanks for letting us single moms off the hook about all this organic food, gardening, etc. Time and money are already stretched to the limit but society adds all this pressure to be perfect.
Not just single moms!! Yeesh. I was raised by a single mom, now raising 5 Children married with a hard working husband. Both situation calls for frugal living.
A little fyi, "organic foods are not necessarily grown/harvested without chemicals! Secondly, 70% of households in America are led by single women, most of whom are at or below the POVERTY LEVEL. 80% of women over 65 are living in POVERTY in America! We must start mentoring people again, our families are failing. Women, in particular, need help!!!!
You truly speak my language ! I used to be a health Visitor here in the U.K. Working with vulnerable families - often young unmarried mothers who didn't have a clue Re budgeting , cooking, menu etc. My big ambition was to start budgeting and cooking classes for these families but my employer was too shortsighted to see the benefit . Everyone eats too much , eat the wrong stuff etc . We are truly a generation of excess! I'm proud to say my three children have been imbued with the same message you are spreading .
Life passes so quickly and one of the things my elderly patients told me was-they wished they had not given up so much. Sad you could not have a cup of coffee which you loved each morning. I faced struggles too, married to someone who got into heavy drugs. I asked my boss to give me extra patients for added money. Still tough, but eventually he,6'4'' big guy, left and w/ one less to feed and more money coming in, it did get easier. We ate almost all meals at home. Found specials where we did go- 99 cent children's buffet at Ponderosa and penny a pound for kids at Ground Round one night a week. You struggled much more than I did. Very stressful to have children and severe lack of funds. Luckily, we have excellent food banks and assisting programs now.
My father worked two jobs and barely made any money at either one. My mom stayed at home and raised nine kids. We always had more than enough food and never got heavy. We had a small farm and grew our vegetables and if we needed some chicken we had more than enough of them in our backyard. They also produced almost all of our eggs. My mother went to local farmers markets and canned food very cheaply. The garden was tended by the children and if we weren't doing the summer chores there were always winter ones. Our garden wasn't huge either and was only about 1 1/2 acres. We did everything from getting the soil ready to harvesting ourselves. My parents rarely had to spend much money for food at all however, my mother never failed to have a full table of food and made a lot of things from scratch. Even our bread was homemade and our leftovers were always eaten. I don't recall ever having one meal that didn't contain meat. For milk we used canned milk but we normally drank kool-aid. Every Friday night my dad would come home from working later at night and we had hot dogs, one bottle of soda, and one Hershey candy bar for our weekly treat. Otherwise, my mom made donuts, cinnamon rolls, pies, cakes, and cookies from scratch. Oh and if we wanted beef or pork my mom would either purchase it with what little they had or invest in a side of beef or buy a year old pig to raise up. We didn't have to worry about putting on weight because we were always busy either doing chores or something outside. The key to success ladies isn't always how much you eat but how much you physically burn it off. I do have to disagree though about "healthy" foods because going gluten free is much easier on a persons stomach as they age. Janet
Janet Wow awesome as well!!! I agree with you both, it is portion control and activity!!! The right amounts the better for year round health!!! And the more raw instead of cooked one eats fruits and veggies the more nutrients gained!!!
People are far to lazy to live like that. That’s exactly how I was raised. But most of our meat cake of the land too, deer moose. But people do t live like that. They are way to lazy for one
@@debbiepotter6413 not lazy. I rent a room for now with no fridge or stove so I have to buy canned. Just because someone buys convenience food doesn't mean their lazy.
i forgot to add that i went plant based a year ago due to health issues (endometriosis) at 46..and my food bill went even lower. tofu costs a $1, beans cost $1. i buy frozen veggies and produce that is on sale. almond milk is cheap now. happy to say.. i am no longer in pain.
@stella. Yes yes yes to all you said. For anyone not fully plant based there are ways to get some animal protein cheap. And eggs are your fried as are tuna. Sardines etc. We dont need meat every day
I make my own oat milk. Just put oats and some water in a blender. Keep adding water until it is the consistency of milk. Strain the oat milk and squeeze the oats in your hand over the strainer. Use these leftover oats and heat them up and eat eat them
You can make tea out of anything. If you have a piece of property, there is probably dandelions. Many plants you think of as weeds are beneficial and taken as tea. I'm fortunate to have rose hips, many flowers that can be used as tea, as well as the herbs I have planted, such as many types of mints, including chocolate mints, yum, and red clover tea full of vit C.
Exactly!! Even with a tiny backyard, it doesn't have to be a big production garden. I will save seeds from produce, buy garlic gloves and plant to get more, buy pole beans, plant 8-10 seeds and you will get quite a bit of beans, let some dry for seeds. Save green pepper, tomato seeds from produce at store. The whole idea is to not have to spend on seeds. All squashes too are prolific and gives you plenty of seeds, okra is another.. At the end of the season throw all the plants, except tomato in a little compost pile to enrich your soil. One doesnt have to spend their life in the garden, plant, water and harvest. I did buy a tea plant and have harvested the leaves, red clover, good idea! Wild violets good in salad. I only can what I could grow free. Fruit trees do take a lot of work but having a fig bush is easy. Same with having some grape vines will give you dessert too.
yes, you can get four meals from one chicken. I fed 5 people on $10 a week. I cut the chicken up, getting 6 meals from one chicken. #1 One breast thinly sliced with julienned vegetables over rice #2 One breast cut into small nuggets, fried, make gravy, put over rice, potatoes or noodles #3 Boil rest of chicken. divide in half. use one half of meat and broth to make chicken soup. This makes 2 meals #4 Use rest of chicken and broth to make chicken and rice. 2 meals from this. That is 6 meals from one chicken for 2 adults and 3 children.
Yes, but you must buy other items to go WITH that CHICKEN, eh...man can NOT live by CHICKEN or BREAD or anything else ALONE, right? LOL. You mentioned rice, potatoes, noodles, gravy (cornstarch, bouillon cubes, or a jar of gravy.) People seem to forget that you have to stock a pantry, you have to buy things to go with the meal, and where I live we MUST buy water as we have LEAD in our water in our rented houses. I have only $36 a week in food vouchers. By the time I get more the following month, I'm blessed if I have any water and condiments left in the refrigerator so I have to spend $30 just to stock back up, let alone by "meal materials." People say go to food banks but as a heart and kidney patient, I can't just grab any ole thing, I am very limited in what I can eat so I have to be wise in what I buy...no white bread, only wheat, etc. I can't afford to buy meat at all. It's difficult being sick and poor and the drs say "eat vegies and fruit" not understanding perhaps on their big salaries that I can't afford it past mid-month.Ugh. Sorry, sometimes I just need to vent. Thanks for sharing. I hope it helps most people. :)
Hi Shelly, it seems you are smart. Would it be a possibility you'd go to the food bank anyway and just give away to others what you cannot use yourself? Maybe even trade some things. Like you don't eat white bread and they don't like carrots... win-win situation. Hope you'll get more health soon. Wishing you a nice day!
shellyslioneyes ..I totally understand what you’re saying. I’m a recovering breast cancer patient, and I have the same Dr’s orders to eat healthy. I’ve completely cut soy out, because there are too many studies that link soy to cancer. I don’t eat out unless it’s Chipotle, because every other place uses soy in everything. They even fry in soy oil. Getting off topic there...But I have not been able to work because I was so sick trying to get better, and groceries are expensive. You definitely do not need to buy organic, but we do need to buy a brush, and scrub our fruits and vegetables, organic or not. Also, if you have kids in sports or any active child, then I don’t believe a teeny bit of meat is enough to sustain them. Definitely not someone with health problems, who’s trying to recover. I need high protein, but with kidney problems, you might need a lot more vegetables, which are so expensive. I shopped today, just for myself, and to last 2 wks, and I spent over $150. That’s with only what I needed. No drinks, like they said is 1/3 of everyone’s bill, not mine. And I do not seek out organic, I clean everything. I think anyone feeding 5 ppl on one chicken, as in other comments, or using a roast for 4 days is a little crazy for an entire family. They might have had an orange and gotten their vitamin C, but there are a lot of other vitamins that we need, in sides, and etc, to not be malnourished! I also didn’t hear them mention beans! Or rice! I bought 12 lbs of beans today, for $12!! That’s not part of my 2 week grocery haul, but that’s a TON of beans, and can feed many mouths, for protein and nutrients. But I need seasonings, vegetables and etc for other vitamins and nutrients. Like you said, they’re not including that stuff. You definitely need a stocked pantry for protein to go that far. And lastly, I wholeheartedly DISAGREE with them saying that planting a garden will not save you money! They must be NUTS! Obviously, they’ve never had a garden. You do not need to buy plants. Start seedlings inside. There’s no free bread anymore, but there is free dirt everywhere. I plant green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers every year. And I get a 5 lb bucket off of 2 rows of beans in my small garden per week! To buy fresh green beans at the store would cost 30 times the amount that you pay for a pack of seeds, and that’s only one week of beans! Beans reproduce until a frost. Same with tomatoes. I get hundreds and hundreds of tomatoes off of 8 plants!! 1 good sized tomato at my farmers market is $5! I supply enough for my entire extended family, both of my neighbors, and several friends. Plus I have tons that I freeze. Nothing gets lost in my freezer. I keep track and date everything! Cucumber season is shorter, but I get tons for summer, and I only do 2 plants, that I grow from seed. I plant a variety of peppers, from chili’s to Jalapeño and bell peppers, and I even dry a lot of the chili’s so I have crushed red peppers 🌶 for an entire year. I freeze and label the rest of the peppers that I get by October, and I’ve never run out, or had to buy them. I only have a 10x10 space for my garden, and I have a separate raised green bean bed. The amount of money that my garden saves me, and everyone else mentioned above is astronomical!! So that’s a huge lie, that gardening doesn’t save. It saves a TON!! And if we’re really trying to save money, why are they constantly peddling that cookbook of theirs?? Just watch the videos for free, and take from them what’s sensible. I think we all already have plenty of common sense. 🌷🤗🦋
I must say you two ladies are so refreshing. I've "known" my grocery store for years and shop almost strictly clearance. Truthfully I find it satisfying being self sufficient just as you describe. No debt, no stress!
I needed to hear that so much that it brought me tears. The stress of being in debt is more detrimental to your health than not eating perfectly all the time. I've been on Weight Watchers for a little over a year because I was like 40 pounds overweight from just mindlessly eating/stress eating all the time. Since I started I've spent almost $200 a week on groceries for just 2 people. Mind you, it's very expensive where I live but still...The point is, I'm spending all this money on healthy food but only work seasonally as a full time student...I've built $2,000 in debt in the last 6 months and I can feel that stress physically. It's so bad that when I go back to work, I spend the first 4 months trying to pay back the debt...Time to make a change. Need to change my mindset about food so I'm not overeating and understand I don't need to eat perfectly all the time.
I know this is old, but if you see this I just want to encourage you, you can do weight watchers without all the special foods. Focus on cheap fruits veggies and meat, season at home. You got this!! You are worth it!
I'm with you, I know this is old, but please, never go into debt over food!! There are far too many services out there that can help! I hope you got that under control and let your stress subside.
I love this! this is how I was raised by my mom. She was a single mother of 2 and worked 10-12 hr. and it didn't pay much. she like Jill would stretch a roast out for a few meals and also would use every bit of it also. and in the summer we would have a garden so that would be our veggies she would barter with people for the seeds and to til our soil patch so it would not cost he anything and us kids would tend to it during the summer while mom was at work. and we would have an abundance of veggies she learned how to can we never canned fruit like Jill said you have to add sugar and other stuff mom kept it simple and stuck with veggies and she taught me this and this is how I am with my own family. people alway use to say that my mom could grocery shop and she could. and I love my mom for giving/showing me that skill.
In england, during WWII, the government issued rationing coupons based on their understanding of basic nutritional needs at the time. Initial, people griped and there was a lot of hand wringing but after a while, helpful hints and neighborhood efforts to share and exchange things as per people's preferences, a whole new eating style emerged. Meat was usually something that showed up on the table once a week. In the roughly 6-7 years those restrictions and food management programs were in effect (It went beyond the years of the "hot war" because distribution and production of food needed time to recover), people got HEALTHIER. They lost weight, ate almost only real food, fewer tooth failures, etc. Just something to reflect on.
Um, they also had to forage and extreme garden and rear eat those animals that were off-ration like rabbit. It wasn’t as great as it sounds and the Ministry of Food had to put out recipes and tips to try to make awful foods stretch and be palatable. We are so spoiled today.
Nothing made me more proud than when my son said to me that he was so glad we brought them up thinking they didn’t have to have the best of everything, spend and buy what is bellow your means, including a home. Even if you have a dual income, live as though you are one person. Then if something happens you don’t have to worry.
Esther chicago- I paid $17,500 student loan, $1,590 medical bill, and $3,000 borowed from my husband retirement account. All came in to a place to pay off, and I have to listen to Jill hundreds of times to motivate and understand what Jill really means.
Growing up we raised chickens, had venison, a few caught fish and supplemented by 1/4 of a cow. We had a big garden and canned everything. I agree we were healthier and rarely went to the grocery store. We also didn't have much garbage. Organic food does not have more nutrients, but it is free of cancer causing chemicals from Monsanto
Your mom is awesome. I have been in the single mom trying to be healthy on a crazy low budget...it's a challenge but it's absolutely not impossible! It's nice to see someone caring enough to not just fill their kids but thinking about nutrients. Refreshing. I like you two.. straightforward, it's great! Subbed!
I realize not everyone is blessed with space for a veggy garden BUT if you are....Free Veggies. Buy GMO free seeds, use your own compost (no fertilizer required), save your own seeds for future growing and can, freeze dry, or store root veg in cool area. A little physical effort can reap tons of free organic food year round!
I had 4 kids and was making $5.75 an hour back when they were young....I'd buy the cheese ends and make mac and cheese. A pound of pizza dough was a dollar so we had fried dough and sauce sprinkled with cheese....soup made everything go further. Cut out the extras and your money goes a lot further.
I felt bad cause grand kids wanted cookies. To high. I told them i have all the stuff to make homade ones. Cheap grandma or good now they know how to make. Had fun as well
Someone was sending you money? That's so sweet. 🙂 Thank you for sharing. My husband and I actually make a good living, but I like to live frugally because I don't want to be wasteful with my hard earned money. I do but some "luxury" stuff but more of as a treat.
Mama Jill you are beautiful inside and out! You're such a strong woman and just radiate the joy of the Lord! Thanks for all the great tips your daughter and you give! May God bless you and your family! 😍🙏♥️
This is one of the best, most practical talks on nutrition and eating, food budgets, etc. that I have heard in a loooong time. From a new mom w/ a baby, thank you!
Going to start tomorrow with my shopping and see what I can get cheaper I dont owe anybody anything, but its better the money in my purse then the shops.
Admittedly we were not through survival mode, and my Mum's prefered 'relaxing' activity was gardening amd teaching me how to grow things, and then to cook with the things (and we had a garden, and lucked into the right soil for what my Mum liked growing, and typically did! Mainly because we tended to make things that had a tomato base). My Mum would make things like cheats spaghetti bolognaise and typical tomato sauces for pasta, with added sneaked in veggies, and would make enough back up meals in her old crocky slow cooker thing for part of the year, or a basic tomato sauce with cheapy garlic stuff in, so that the meat or whatever could be added in at the time. We were lucky that we had decent freezers, couldn't taste any freezer burn (although a layer of charcoal helps!), my Mum would spend time sorting and cleaning cupboards and freezers on a regular basis, and my Mum had lots of paid holiday time to do this in (as she was a teacher!). We used the tomatoes that wouldn't stop growing, the whatever else my Mum grew etc, when it was ripe to make meals up for later in the year, so in winter we'd have the summer tomatoes in spaghetti. I like how my Mum used a stress reducing activity she liked, to give us many meals throughout the year for a low amount of money, and high nutritional value, we also had very many teachable moments. Seeing my Mum calm and reassured that she had things to help contribute to the family, and doing something that she liked for herself... that look in her bodily expression, face expression, movements, and voice, is better to me than the most expensive toy invented! My Dad worked full time, and so did my Mum, they managed the money, and general household running etc as a unit, and neither wanted to keep things from or lie to the other, so when I proudly (or panicly/unsuredly) approached a parent about the other parent's birthday or special occasion... the surprise was often ruined by the day! I feel so fortunate that my Mum taught me to be thrifty (our 'big deal' thing was going to all the charity shops in town together!), and I feel so fortunate that my parents were such a united team regarding all matters. I felt so very safe with that situation as a child. I liked that my parents showed me how much communication is needed and wanted in a relationship, and that showed me that thoughts behind actions or items are often more important and more hidden than the gift, and are needed to be told. We ended up buying cheapy presents, but having a thought or memory and writing about it as part of a present is more meaningful for them. I bought my Dad a 'tortoise themed' present thing for a big birthday, and I gave him a big showy present, a pencil with a wooden tortoise end to it, and some other things. I wrote about what a tortoise means and in connection to my Dad, I then wrote about why I bought the pencil (at the time I thought I needed to justify it and eventually apologise regarding that gift!). I wrote about how talented my Dad is about thinking through things, from scale diagrams to just rough drawings, to complete scale based room with scale based movable things (for basic things like reorganisation of furniture beforehand!), and that I liked how well and thoroughly he plans things, and wrote it to him. The tortoise pencil was put away somewhere and so I figured he threw it away or something, but whenever there was some kind of major project where my Dad might need to note something to draw something, out this specific pencil would come (other times an automatic pencil would be there because 'it is more precise'!). Needless to say, I feel tons of relief, and can't help beaming when I see it near a 'current big project planning' thing! He even confessed that he didn't want to use it much, because he didn't want to use it up (and was almost crying as if using it up would hurt my feelings!), I almost cried because it was so unexpected that he liked it so much. From that point on, I've always done thought over present, and spent time thinking and stressing on what to write rather than buying elaborate and/or expensive presents! My parents are redoing a house at the moment, and I am trying to save money up (whilst on a low budget!) to help them incase they need some money to get some extra people in to help them with something (or buy something they can't afford, or to just help them get further ahead and in more comfort quicker!).
I just love the joy that shines through Jill.I respect her so much, such a genuine personality.You guys make such great videos and they always feel so "homely" Greetings from freezing Holland
$7.00 a week to my family would be a blessing from god. It is great to see someone else that knows what a person need to have all or more than what they need and be greatefull and never be hungray
You had a guardian angel sending you that money every week. I hope that they have gotten rewarded in turn. What a beautiful gesture! New to your channel and I'm looking forward to listening to the PPM series! I've already cut down my food budget (it's just me) from $400 to $200 last month and I'm setting a goal for $150 for this month. Meal planning and smart grocery list/planning has been the key thing for me. I'm in my 50's and have JUST learned to cook! My average meals are coming out to about $3!
I remember a year or so when my father went to trade school in another state, we ate potatoes, carrots, and onions in gravy, with deviled ham on Fridays. My mother worked at a dime store and earned a whopping $1.10 an hour, out if which she paid rent, utilities, food, and whatever else. We had no car so we walked everywhere. In later years, my mother mentioned the fact that during that time, none of us got sick. There were five of us: mom and four kids. As far as your take on organic foods: it's true. Nutritionally, they are pretty close. BUT, organic foods do not have the vestiges of antibiotics or growth hormones or steroids. That's why people tend to buy organic. Also, the wheat and corn available to us today are genetically modified and do damage to the human body over time. They are not the wheat and corn my parents and grandparents farmed! I have had no choice but to cut grains from my diet, so it is more expensive for groceries. But, I'd rather pay the grocery bill than tolerate IBS and other health issues that have resolved since changing my food lifestyle!
My mom would have spaghetti Wednesday every week with salad. Then other days we might have beans with cornbread made from scratch with fried potatoes for dinner. Also we would make homemade biscuits for breakfast sometimes with our mom and have chocolate gravy with it. We also made chili and whatever we could make. Now me and my husband and our son make homemade bread and make homemade chicken nuggets from chicken and bread crumbs from the ends of the bread we made. Also I make homemade pancakes some mornings or some mornings I heat up some oatmeal and add brown sugar and cinnamon to it especially during the winter for my son before school. Also we make our own cinnamon raisin bread because the ones at the store cost 4 or 5 dollars for a very small loaf. We get a huge loaf and we eat that for breakfast. Also my husband is learning to make cream cheese and our own butter.
Sometimes my Mom made chocolate gravey with biscuits, never had a friend who had it. Glad to see you know about it. . What a treat.Occasionally had fried round potatoe on a Biscuit sandwich. So good! Cabbage , boiled potatoes, cornbread. squash. Many lovely things!There was always chicken and rice as a staple in my Grandmothers kitchen. And fresh fruits and vegetables. So delicious!
I never new we were poor growing up, we never went hungry, always had 3 meals homemade everything😊 I remember milk toast for breakfast, yummy😁 and creamed tuna over toast, we had a orange and lemon tree in the backyard, my mother baked bread, raisin bread, dinner rolls. When I think of my childhood and the wonderful things, I think of the tasty dishes mom fixed and the great conversations!
I grew up the same way. It's funny that now that my husband and I make a very good living, I still prefer the 'poor' food....hamburger soup, creamed tuna on toast. YUM. I"m thankful for the childhood i had. It taught me to be frugal and thankful.
Sonya Vasile fabuloso guys past it on am teaching my daughter .how my grandmothers raised there kids in the Island of Puerto Rico which by the way has a rich soil .
If you are looking to replace spices go to the bulk food store or bulk section of your grocery store. I replaced all my spices (18 of them) for under $6.00. And if I want a chili spice blend I go on the internet and make my own. I have to say I like my own spice mixes better than the store bought one's.
IF you live in a small town that doesn't have a store that carries bulk spices, you can look in the Hispanic section for them. You can get a little baggie with a zipper top full of cilantro for $.69 where I live. I use this more than any other spice or herb, and it is just as good as the stuff that costs $4 in the spice section!!!
The only store near me that has bulk spices is Whole Foods and I end up spending more than if I bought the jarred. I don't know how you could do that on $6.00? Where did you shop?
You can also order bulk spices online from places like Amazon and Walmart (if you shop there). For example, where I live, a 4 oz jar of coriander seed is $8 at the grocery store, but I've ordered it online in 1 lb bags for under $3. I've started doing this with ALL herbs and spices and divide it with friends and family. We all share, and we all save a LOT of money.
I relate to this so much. I was the youngest of four when my Mom and Dad divorced. Mom stayed home and we lived on child support. No phone, no washer dryer, no car. From the time I was 4 years old until I was 21.
This is great. It takes me back to the good times with my grandma. She used to have little juice glasses that were actually the little glasses left over from the cheese bread she used to use on holidays. They held about half a cup. And when we did have a glass of juice that was all we had. Make sure your tap water is healthy. Ours ended up getting chemicals in it from a chemical plant about 7 miles away and we ended up with genetic defects. My granddaughter died from that. That's your problem with on organic is the chemicals that cause the mutations. Thanks so much for sharing I really enjoyed it!
My rent is $450 and that is very cheap in a crappy neighborhood. I don't understand how this living on $500 is even possible. I could live in my van but it's cold outside. Heck, it's cold inside.
I Walk, You Lead Well think of it this way.1.)The house was paid off. 2.)When she lived on $500 a month in the 80s. 3.)If you looked at inflation, $500 in 1980 is about $1,500 now. 4.)Some of our disabled Americans have no choice but to live on $500 a month. What you can learn from these lovely ladies is discipline,perseverance,and gump.
My biggest bill a month is on groceries so I love videos like this ! My husband and I are trying to start living on a budget we make ok money but spend way too much
I think that a great staple would be dried beans and rice. So cheap and makes many portions. Plus the combination of the rice and beans creates all the amino acids that you need!
Ruthie I agree, we eat a lot of beans, at least one to three times a week. My son is picky, now doesn't like meat, but we don't have it every day either. We love rice and beans, it's cheap, easy, delicious and nutritious.
My girls and I eat lots of rice and beans. Being on disability means that we don't have enough money after paying rent. I use veggie peels and scraps to make broth i freeze them until I can make a stockpot full. We rarely ever eat meats, and we eat lots of clearance fruits and vegetables. I have dairy allergy so we spend a bit more on getting almond milk for myself though.
I do not eat meat, dairy, eggs, salt, sugar or oil. Instead have greens, beans, onions, mushroom, berries and seeds. Like you, I cured many of my health probs, lots of beans and rice and veg. Bananas so cheap. I save tons.
I smiled when I heard you say giving up coffee. Before I retired, I drank a whole pot of coffee in the morning BEFORE I left for work and then I was in the coffee club at work and drank coffee there till around 1130 am. :-) Since I retired, (I'm disabled) I have coffee twice a week. That's 2 cups 2 days a week. The other 5 days, NO coffee. And guess what? I managed with that like you're doing here! Thanks for the great info!
My eldest son, the first word he learnt how to read at just two years old was the word "free" every time I took him shopping he would look for the buy one get one free sign and say mum mum freee ;)
Sindy Frischman we were a family of four, my son moved out this past May so now it's 3 and I do notice I spend less but still way more than $21 (7×3) a week, I couldn't even begin to figure it out!
Sorry, I disagree about the garden. I had a nice garden and I did not buy special soil or anything. There are frugal ways of fertilizing a garden. My friend's husband would take a wheelbarrow down to the river at certain times of the year and gather seaweed for his garden. His garden was the envy of the neighborhood! You can find the other free sources of garden fertilizer depending on what's around you.
I've been a gardener for almost 30 years and 90% of it has been free. Gardening can and is pretty much free for me BUT for the average non gardening person they think they have to spend a lot to get started gardening and then get frustrated and don't end up with much not because it's not a good way to save but because they hate gardening did all this work and it isn't worth it. So if you are growing veggies for a hobby and like to garden and save money doing it then it's great but if you are doing it just to save on groceries I wouldn't do it. I didn't clarify that.
Yes, it sounded like you didn't think you could ever save money by gardening. I can't do it where I live now because the soil is bad, the water is bad, and I would have to truck too much stuff in. When I was living where I had a great garden I was able to save on my groceries because of it.
MotherOfManyHorses we fertilize our garden with garbage fish we get from the river, our mulch pile and whenever we find out about manure . I can a lot, meat, fruit, vegetables and dry beans. When I eat I eat a lot of vegetables and cook from scratch.
MotherOfManyHorses I also disagree with her on the garden and canning, I save lots with it. I have never used special soil or anything and use my produce to can for almost free.
I've been a gardener for almost 30 years and 90% of it has been free. Gardening can and is pretty much free for me BUT for the average non gardening person they think they have to spend a lot to get started gardening and then get frustrated and don't end up with much not because it's not a good way to save but because they hate gardening did all this work and it isn't worth it. So if you are growing veggies for a hobby and like to garden and save money doing it then it's great but if you are doing it just to save on groceries I wouldn't do it. I didn't clarify that.
My moms dad left the family when there were the 5 kids. My mom was raised on day old bread from the bakery, powdered milk, and grandma also has a very precise menu. My mom would ask her to once in awhile to get 6 tacos(or something like that) for $1 at Taco Bell back in the 60s, but my grandma was on such a strict budget they never could get that.
Wonderful video, ladies! I am appalled when shopping, to see all the junk that Mothers put in their carts to feed their children . That money could be spent on wholesome foods that could add nutrition to their diets, instead of health & behavior issues. Most of these junk items are loaded with harmful chemicals & additives [many are addictive]. PLEASE read the reply I made below to Lyn Hannah's comment.
It is so true about the children's lunches! I work in elementary-aged childcare, and when they brought cold lunches in the summer, I was SHOCKED at how much they wanted to just throw away every day! When it became a pattern with a child, I would have them take the uneaten food home so that THEY had to explain to their parents why they had eaten their chips and cookie and left all of the nutritious food untouched.
My husband and I spend about 1,000 per month. I am saving my receipts for the month and see what we are buying that we don’t need or to cut back on items. You’ve got great ideas, thank you ❤️
Our Walmart and some other stores have a water station where you can bring your own empty jugs and fill them with purified water for about 38 cents a gallon. It's a hassle, but it's cheaper than buying the jugs, plus you reuse the jugs so you don't drown under plastic waste. I have a well, but the water doesn't' agree with me. I recently bought a Berkey water filter for my tap water, and while it was an investment, it's saving me a lot of work taking jugs and filling them. Years ago we rented a reverse osmosis unit, and that really gave us nice drinking water!
Hey Tawra hope you are doing good. I don't remember how many times I watched this video and its so inspiring. Your mom is indeed a beautiful and intelligent lady. Love you both..!!!
My parents grew up during the depression and we were raised very frugally. Not so sure I could give up coffee totally, but I'm down to one cup in the morning. Planning on trying some of your ideas for saving.
You have inspired me! You are so right! I grew up eating that way and fed my own kids that way. I need to get back to 3 small meals a day and no snacking. After the kids grew up I started eating badly. I need to get back in line.
Cabbage has Vit C....a bag of slaw mix is $1.....grate in some carrot,. tsp white vinegar,, oil or mayo...boom! Great on chicken tacos or as a side. We eat lots of apples, spinach, tons of celery, kale, green beans, carrots, onions...whatever's cheap...fill up on soups...vegies n lentils. Sprout some beans....make a stir fry with celery, onions and a handful of frozen peas. Almost everything I've mentioned is only $1. Beans are cheaper than meat. Chop apples into cookies, use oatmeal and/or peanut butter to keep cookies on the healthy side.
Loved visiting , volumes to learn right here on what truly matters!!! Beautiful Mom and Daughter relationship...more about love, team work, Encouragement.....less about the nonessentials !!! Way to go family!!❤️👍
Having my own garden has saved me SO much money & I can ensure that the produce is not coated with pesticides and harmful chemicals. Growing your own food is a huge blessing - a little sweat in the garden won't hurt you ;)
I try to watch my grocery money but it never seems to stretch far enough :) I do have a teenage boy in my home so that does explain some of it. You can have nice cuts of meat and stuff too if you watch for the good sales - I got sirloin steaks last night - paid 10.47 and there is enough steak to feed my grandson and I for 3 meals - that felt good and the steak was delicious last night :)
I'm always inspired by these super frugal grocery tips. My kids are all "grown and gone" now, but we sure learned how to get by on a lot less than most people we knew when they were all small and at home. We still laugh over some of my creativity back then. None of us starved, and the money we saved helped us to live on one income. Thanks for posting common sense information and addressing the difference between needs and wants (speaking of the cars). So many today don't seem to understand the differences. I'm a new subscriber and I can't wait to watch all the videos!
Mom used to ask the butcher for the lunch meat ‘ends’ for a fraction of the price of the more even slices. It wasn’t pretty but in a family of four kids it was a welcome way to mix up the variety of lunch meat sandwiches.
I really enjoyed your video because my mom taught her five daughters to shop like you. She did that in the 1950s , 60s and 70s when we were home .I taught my daughter and we taught her two sons. We all look for bargains and markdowns. Thank you for taking me back a few years . My mom would have had her 94 th birthday the other day ( May 27 ) and she's been on my mind and heart....I remembered her writing out her grocery list and planning the meat we would have for the week. We had a dad , mom and five girls at home . I loved the memories. She made a roast or hamburger go for so many meals. Thank you so much . God bless you both.
This is the way I was raised. I agree totally. I didn't feel hungry between meals. Your meat was portioned at supper. We didn't have frozen pizza etc. or soda at all. Why and where did I go wrong? My 3 teenagers are hungry all the time. They truly are the grazers. I do portion meat at supper and have the meal at 5pm. I don't remember my mom coming home with bags of food. Thank you for the reminder of my roots!!!!
Once ,I made soup out of a can of tomato paste, it was all we had. I put mace to flavor it. This was back in 1979 or 80 . We never had much to eat but we got by I had 30$ a week grocery budget.
You guys are a true blessing.... and it is sad that MOST people, would not even try to budget, or live on limited quantities like this! Thanks for sharing!
I haven't gotten my grocery bill down as low as I'd like to yet but I utilize food pantries to help us out because they provide lots of beans, noodles and canned goods which completes a meal. I have cut down a whole lot on junk food.. I buy it as treats now instead of just having it to graze on. I keep a bag of popcorn tho cuz that's my weakness! Lol but i cook everything from scratch and make alot of 2 and 3 ingredient things.
I had my kids making their own lunches by age 8. They also made their own snacks, pikelets,mini muffins and cup cakes, I did the oven. I only ever had popcorn in my cupboard, no other snacks. All their friends were jealous and wanted to cook as soon as they walked in the front door! 😄
Im LOVING this. My mother and I just had a conversation about how much food gets wasted. Im trying to figure out how to make my food stretch. And, Im looking for recipes that are easy. I was trying to find a pot pie recipe that didnt have 100 ingredients. So, I had to call my mother...and of course she led me in the right direction. So glad I stumbled upon this video!! Thanks ladies! But, I will be gardening and canning. Cuz I wanna! ;)
Oooo ladies... this brings back precious memories... 17 family members under our roof.. Mom, dad and us siblings... never went hungry...we harvested seafood, gardens and preserved a lot of our bounty and a treat from grandparents farm such as lard, salted pork, butter and cornmeal from afar. Yes, dad worked 40+ years before retirement from shipbuilding and mom outside home for many of those years... yes, we were often offered things from others from time to time but mom always said thanks but please give that to someone who needs it... No government handouts were included in our household. NO! Mom again said we are fine and just carried on. And we did... Thanks for your representation because it was so real for of family frugality was passed on to me and I still practice >>waste not, want not... Continual health and strength and many, many Blessings to both of you mama’s😍😊
I have you say I'm very jealous of you for having your mother still. My mama dies in 88 when i was 30. We did lots together. Watching yall makes me cry but i try to stick with yall.
Thank you for all of your information. My husband and I live on a fixed income and our granddaughter and two greats live with us as well. We need to cut our expenses drastically or we will all be out on the street. Thank you so much for writing a cookbook that we could afford and that will help us cut back. My mom knew how to do these things as well, but she passed and I had forgotten in our good years how to "make do, or do without."
Hey ladies, alot f people including me....buy thin skinned fruits or veggie organically,, its not just about nutrients its also the pesticides that are used on the non organics.Jst wanted to let you know it s not just about the nutrient factor.Love your video.
We were a family of 6, my dad was a big man 6'4 and 1/2"my two brothers had big appetites too, growing lads. Mum was an ex army cook and she would rustle up hearty dinners out of anything available. Often though in the evenings she would bring in supper a tray of baked potatoes to eat around the fire together, they must have been plentiful. She would also make huge dishes of cheese and potato pie... very filling with crusty bread and any left over bread was made into a tray of bread pudding that dad would have for lunch at work. Rice puddings, suet puddings, macaroni puddings all made to fill up hungry men .
It’s all great advise, except for the canning. It is cheaper to buy some foods, but if you are given the bottles, are given the fruit or veg, or are allowed to glean it, and use the low sugar recipes, it is cheaper if you have a large family. I have done the price comparisons and it IS worth the money if you have a big family, and if you are reusing the supplies. Other than that, great advise.
I've found that I can buy 60 count Eggs for $3.15 rather than paying $1.??/doz, $2.??/18 count. The 60 count lasts the month or longer. We used to have Orange & a Peach tree in our backyard growing up, used a succulent plant there in the yard to cut the orange when I wanted it cut & washed hands @ the outdoor faucet. Never had to go in the house until we had to go to the bathroom. My kids, I'd climbe the Mulberry tree each day to pick a bowl full, wash them & have them in the fridge long enough for them to be cool when the kids got home from school. I grew Tomatoes ($.79/plant) planted in the ground ( using Epsom Salt, I keep in the house anyway, coffee grounds from neighbors {I don't drink coffee} & Eggs Shells) & it turned into a massive plant spreading out & I used a telescoping clothes rack (fully extended) & it/they were growing over the top, never had less than 80 (Cherry) tomatoes @ a time (always enough to share with my neighbors. Now they are bringing me Coffee grounds again & picking up onions (collected seeds from Wild Onions & cost me nothing).
I do spend on soda, tea, coffee. I save by keeping my utilities low. Best way to keep the water low is showering at the gym, I only shave and wash clothes and dishes. I save there so I can get what I want to eat. I eat a lot of beans and rice but I put a lot of meat in the beans. I do the beans soup so I just cook one large pot each week. I have other meals like sandwiches,hot pockets, chimichungas. To me it's more about not eating out, talk about blowing through cash and gaining weight.
my dad was a janitor at a school and he hated the fact that every day he hauled four large steel garbage cans full of food out to the dump. He set up an exchange table and if there was anything in your lunch that you did not want you put it on the table and if you were hungry you went to the table and helped yourself. Those four cans were cut down to less than half a garbage can.
What a wonderful man, your Dad was! He probably would not have been allowed to do that today - what a shame! Thank you for sharing that. I retired from Virginia State Corrections 8 years ago. The last few years , I was the supervising correctional officer in the Mess Hall. It is appalling how much 'good' food is throw in the garbage - enough to feed All the homeless people! I would have to be @ the back door when shipments of food, pallets of beautiful fresh tropical fruits & vegetables came in [much of it donated] Most of which many cannot afford to buy!! I would like your Dad see all the huge cans of wasted food being throw out! These are convicted felons that cost the Virginia tax payer $38,000 a year Minimum to house, & they throw food away like it's used chewing gum!!!
Great idea
Your dad was an innovator! I wish more school would do that.
Lyn Hanna what a wonderful idea your grandfather had. Kids are so wasteful, and sometimes others are hungry and this was a fantastic way to get them fed well!!! Great story to share even today
My kids always pack. They told me they are forced to take items they don't want/like because it comes with the lunch. If they don't like it, it goes in the trash. Wasted food for sure.
Sounds like the reason the kids weren’t hungry was the fact they were not addicted to sugar. Great video, loads of top tips. 👍
My garden saves me. money. I canned 134 qts of green beans not to mention the corn, squash, okra, and peppers I put up. I made 23 jars of jelly from one plum tree. I made pickles, pickled okra, pickled peppers. I am eating turnip greens and freezing some for later. I have a lot of herbs and onions. In the summer I eat breakfast out of my yard. I pick cherry tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, plums or apples. I buy a head of lettuce and salad dressing and I have everything else for a huge salad from asparagus to kale to arugula, peppers, cukes, spinach,tomatoes, and herbs. You can take one tomato seed and produce numerous plants by rooting some stems. I even have black pepper plants indoors
I'm so jealous! I hope to have my own vegetable, fruit, and flower garden as we'll!
Lynn Lamont
Ha the deer killed my garden.
That's great! And super healthy
I believe whoever sent the $7.00 every Saturday has special place in heaven.
Me too.
Back then you didn't need to buy "organic", every was naturally organic. They didn't use pestisides or GMO's or spray everything. Luv your site.
30, 40, 50 years ago.... yes they absolutely were using pesticides in commercial farming.
My grandparents grew their own food in a garden at home and guess what. They sprayed it with pesticides to keep the bugs off. My cousin grows her own veggies and fruit right now and uses pesticides bc if she doesn't she wont have any food bc the bugs eat it all. Organic is over rated.
I’m Irish and growing up in the 70s and 80s there definitely wasn’t a lot of money, also this was during the “Troubles” So meals were carefully planned and very nutritious. A pot of homemade soup cost around £1 and would feed a family of 4 for two days. Boiled potatoes with it was very filling. Then for the next two days it was minced stew, and this could be curried which tastes amazing. Liver was also on the menu which was lovely and a chicken dinner for Sunday’s. My mums careful spending never saw our food shopping go over £6, and now I’ve carried what she did into my home life. It can be done ppl. Have a price set and don’t deviate. Do your weekly menu and don’t deviate.
Great video. Peace and blessings from Ireland 🇮🇪
I love the challenge of cutting back and like yourself I am Irish and we never went hungry, in fact we were well looked after but my mother taught me how to budget and not to waste which I am sure you will agree was frowned upon. I have forwarded that to my own children. I would rather spend my money on family outings and holidays than stuff that will end up in the bin and I am not afraid to say no if I think something is a waste of money. My daughter is now 12 and prides herself on how she can save money either in the school canteen or the shops lol!
I'm of Irish, Scottish, and English stock. I love old folk music and I'm a gardener. I shudder to think of all the people who starved during the Irish holocaust as well as the people starving in Venezuela. I always have food growing year round. I can food, freeze food, dehydrate food and overwinter a few things indoors. I also keep a minimum one year supply and I always have an abundance of seeds. I have fruit, nut, and berry plants. I plant perennial foods too. I also regrow from my groceries like celery, carrots, potatoes😀. Every month I add to my resources. I don't want to wake up in a world of shit with no toilet paper.
Luck of the Irish!!!!
Proud of my Irish heritage!!!
Erin Go Brah!!!, having said that, I have never set foot on 🇮🇪 however; I am Irish on both sides of my family Wicklow and Mayo. I learned how to live frugally from my humble upbringing.
I admire the close mum/daughter relationship, sensible tips and self confidence and the immense pride you have in what you do. Kudos to mum who has a awesome personality. Really admirable !!!
We lived on groceries of $3.00 a week for about 3 months. Bought bags of potatoes when on sale for $1.00 for a 10 lb bag of potatoes (at the little rancho style market, they were pretty much always $0.99 for a 10 lb bag), a bit of oil and occasional seasonings to be had for $0.25 to 50 cents every now and then. Yeah not the healthiest choice but when in a pinch. We'd basically eat one meal a day in the evening but if there were any leftover potatoes at the end of the week, we'd make some hash browns for breakfast. Now mind you, this fed 2 people. Now that we are both well employed and making decent money, I think back to those days of old and realize just how wasteful we have become again.
I cleaned out the fridge the other week and saw just how much leftovers were sitting in there ready to go in the bin. We would have just about killed to have the leftovers that we've now been tossing instead of using. Definitely time to wake up and stop wasting so much.
Thank you for the potato tip.
👍I appreciate it.
I'm actually trying to feed a family of 3, 2 adults, 1 child, on $30 for the whole month.
Make a special day to honor those days ?
I was overpacking my childs lunch and he himself said at one point,please dont send so much with me to eat.i cant eat that much and even if i am that hungry -we don't really have enough time to eat as it is.
side note- he had told me that he wasn't "allowed" to keep the uneaten items in his lunch to bring back home.The school staff had the students throw away what wasnt eaten.
AUTUMN FIRESIDE Its such a tragedy that we have a society of waste. We need to teach basic skills like gardening, home-cooking, sewing and home ec. So important for so many anymore.
I would not stand for that. Uneaten items from your child's lunch are his property and the school staff has NO right to force him to throw it out. Seriously, this is unacceptable.
He wasn't allowed to bring back food YOU packed? That's crazy.
Maybe you should pack less?
How many people were fed each day...I had to do the same thing for five little ones. I still use the same "deodorant" I used fifty years ago...Half Corn Starch, Half Baking Soda, sifted onto wax paper, then poured into a clean cottage cheese container with the lid. Take enough toilet paper so that it makes a nice cushy square. Use that the way you'd use a power puff and dab that on your clean underarms. I can't use regular deodorant because it makes me itch and turns my skin red. My homemade stuff doesn't. It's free. If you don't know the benefits of baking soda, then google up "Baking Soda." SO Many uses...you'll be surprised. If you don't want to "sift," no big deal, just use a fork to stir it up good, put the lid on, and shake it hard...little lumps will disappear. When I ran out of soap for dishes and laundry, baking soda was my go to solution. It's really cheap, and cuts grease and dirt. Also had a backyard garden. I didn't have debt...just an ex-husband who wouldn't pay child support, and as he told the judge..."I don't live there anymore, so why should I pay the house payment?" The Judge said, "Bayliff, escort this man to a holding cell with the rest of the prisoners." He got thirty days out of that escape. His parents brought groceries over, and paid back utility bills. They left him sitting in jail. He thought for sure the would pull him out of that situation...but they didn't. Everybody has a story to tell about their lean days. Lean days gives us character. Cheers, thanks for reading, even though I got off topic. 3/5/18.
Thank you, Lovely Ladies.
I feel you. Glad you had some justice 💕
Now I have to try washing dishes with baking soda. Thanks for the idea!
ethel newberry going to try wash my dishes with baling soda too. Thanks for the advice.
What did you do for shampoo????
Please post more of your provision struggle actions. My mom was a single parent after a similar dad to the one your kids had. His family was not around and my mom's family stood in judgement because they had told her not to marry him in the first place. They later helped us some but they equated help with complete control and so we moved away to a place that did not know us and my mom worked on education. My mom is gone now and I am so nostalgic to remember her struggle and love hearing stories about the times of scarcity
Wow! I admire your mother. She is amazing!! That is exactly what a mother is supposed to do in such a situation. It was hard but she pulled through making sure her kids were taken care of. I applaud you!
I found this video helpful for myself. For me personally what spoke to me is how stress is more harmful to buying the "perfect" type of food for my family. I remember hearing that no matter how "healthy" you eat the consistent high levels of stress we are in/do to ourselves will undo almost health benefits from "healthy" food.
Hi girls, you reminded me of my growing up years, my father died when I was 8 and my brother 4, my mother was a widow at 28. Sooo, we never had juice, pop or anything of the sort. Some years ago my mother reminded me of a funny story, a school friend of mine invited me for tea, we are a tea drinking country. So when I came home I told my mother that my friends family were very rich, millionairs I screamed, but what happened, my mother asked me, did they have gold forks and spoons? I said, noooo, its mote than that, my mother asked agai, so tell me, and I stood up and said, they served pastries at tea time. Hahahaha, in my house we had onions, potatoes, carrots, meat once a week and chicken once a week, the rest were vegetable dishes, my mother didnt even buy butter, or jam, or ham and cheese, or anything of the sort. It was so funny, mu grandchildren cannot believe we were happy. We didnt even have tv. I am now 72 years, so I am speaking of the very olden days....❤❤❤
Tita Linda is
Tita Linda II
U R forgetting little scraps of different meats with little rice added and Vegetables in the meat juice make wonderful soups or even add small amounts of pasta
Tita Linda , you had MORE than so many that had $$$$$ you had a loving caring mother ♡♡ Bless you
Wow. It's always great to hear stories from the past. Nice. Have a good day.
most of the people i know are used to having their fridges stuffed. i only buy necessary stuff and am not scared to see my refrigerator half empty
Laura Anguiano I agree. It makes you actually use what you have!
Get yourself some plastic jugs and fill them with water to fill up the room when your fridge isn't full. The cold water helps maintain the low temp and saves you electricity.
I'm so cheap, I never have an empty fridge!
I am determined to use every bit of my food in the fridge before I buy more.
Laura Anguiano I do the same I try to buy just what I need for the week, most of the times it is on sale items. I would not be truthful however if I said we did not occasionally buy stuff that we wanted, and I have no guilt about that cause we have been blessed. I believe one hundred percent in budgeting and managing your finances if we didn't we would not have a roof over our heads etc. But I also do not suscribe to the mentallity of always living like you broke I hear to many people who I know have the means cry broke and live a very improvised life by choice. I feel this is a sin onto God and the Blessings He has given us. My philosophy is simple, be grateful for each day, do the best you can each day for yourself and others, put aside something for the unknown and leave the rest in God's hands.
Your mother is so incredibly sweet and yet real and down-to-earth. True inspiration.
Thanks for letting us single moms off the hook about all this organic food, gardening, etc. Time and money are already stretched to the limit but society adds all this pressure to be perfect.
If you can afford it and aren't in debt, fine eat organic but I think it's ridiculous the pressure we put on people when we don't need to!
Not just single moms!! Yeesh. I was raised by a single mom, now raising 5 Children married with a hard working husband. Both situation calls for frugal living.
A little fyi, "organic foods are not necessarily grown/harvested without chemicals! Secondly, 70% of households in America are led by single women, most of whom are at or below the POVERTY LEVEL. 80% of women over 65 are living in POVERTY in America! We must start mentoring people again, our families are failing. Women, in particular, need help!!!!
Great tips. My mom was a single mom...not easy. I praise single moms...it is hard. 🙋
You truly speak my language ! I used to be a health Visitor here in the U.K. Working with vulnerable families - often young unmarried mothers who didn't have a clue Re budgeting , cooking, menu etc. My big ambition was to start budgeting and cooking classes for these families but my employer was too shortsighted to see the benefit .
Everyone eats too much , eat the wrong stuff etc . We are truly a generation of excess!
I'm proud to say my three children have been imbued with the same message you are spreading .
She reminds me of my frugal grandma, I can’t believe how I am going back to her teachings, now that I’m in my 20’s. Thank you for posting.
Life passes so quickly and one of the things my elderly patients told me was-they wished they had not given up so much. Sad you could not have a cup of coffee which you loved each morning. I faced struggles too, married to someone who got into heavy drugs. I asked my boss to give me extra patients for added money. Still tough, but eventually he,6'4'' big guy, left and w/ one less to feed and more money coming in, it did get easier.
We ate almost all meals at home. Found specials where we did go- 99 cent children's buffet at Ponderosa and penny a pound for kids at Ground Round one night a week. You struggled much more than I did. Very stressful to have children and severe lack of funds. Luckily, we have excellent food banks and assisting programs now.
My father worked two jobs and barely made any money at either one. My mom stayed at home and raised nine kids. We always had more than enough food and never got heavy. We had a small farm and grew our vegetables and if we needed some chicken we had more than enough of them in our backyard. They also produced almost all of our eggs. My mother went to local farmers markets and canned food very cheaply. The garden was tended by the children and if we weren't doing the summer chores there were always winter ones. Our garden wasn't huge either and was only about 1 1/2 acres. We did everything from getting the soil ready to harvesting ourselves. My parents rarely had to spend much money for food at all however, my mother never failed to have a full table of food and made a lot of things from scratch. Even our bread was homemade and our leftovers were always eaten. I don't recall ever having one meal that didn't contain meat. For milk we used canned milk but we normally drank kool-aid. Every Friday night my dad would come home from working later at night and we had hot dogs, one bottle of soda, and one Hershey candy bar for our weekly treat. Otherwise, my mom made donuts, cinnamon rolls, pies, cakes, and cookies from scratch. Oh and if we wanted beef or pork my mom would either purchase it with what little they had or invest in a side of beef or buy a year old pig to raise up. We didn't have to worry about putting on weight because we were always busy either doing chores or something outside. The key to success ladies isn't always how much you eat but how much you physically burn it off. I do have to disagree though about "healthy" foods because going gluten free is much easier on a persons stomach as they age. Janet
Janet
Wow awesome as well!!! I agree with you both, it is portion control and activity!!! The right amounts the better for year round health!!! And the more raw instead of cooked one eats fruits and veggies the more nutrients gained!!!
You must have had a blessed childhood!
Thank you for sharing.
People are far to lazy to live like that. That’s exactly how I was raised. But most of our meat cake of the land too, deer moose. But people do t live like that. They are way to lazy for one
@@debbiepotter6413 not lazy. I rent a room for now with no fridge or stove so I have to buy canned. Just because someone buys convenience food doesn't mean their lazy.
i forgot to add that i went plant based a year ago due to health issues (endometriosis) at 46..and my food bill went even lower. tofu costs a $1, beans cost $1. i buy frozen veggies and produce that is on sale. almond milk is cheap now. happy to say.. i am no longer in pain.
stella splendida me too!!
@stella. Yes yes yes to all you said. For anyone not fully plant based there are ways to get some animal protein cheap. And eggs are your fried as are tuna. Sardines etc. We dont need meat every day
I make my own oat milk. Just put oats and some water in a blender. Keep adding water until it is the consistency of milk. Strain the oat milk and squeeze the oats in your hand over the strainer.
Use these leftover oats and heat them up and eat eat them
You can make tea out of anything. If you have a piece of property, there is probably dandelions. Many plants you think of as weeds are beneficial and taken as tea. I'm fortunate to have rose hips, many flowers that can be used as tea, as well as the herbs I have planted, such as many types of mints, including chocolate mints, yum, and red clover tea full of vit C.
I love foraging for anything! You are a smarty.
Tell me more about chocolate mints. Never heard of them.
Exactly!! Even with a tiny backyard, it doesn't have to be a big production garden. I will save seeds from produce, buy garlic gloves and plant to get more, buy pole beans, plant 8-10 seeds and you will get quite a bit of beans, let some dry for seeds. Save green pepper, tomato seeds from produce at store. The whole idea is to not have to spend on seeds. All squashes too are prolific and gives you plenty of seeds, okra is another.. At the end of the season throw all the plants, except tomato in a little compost pile to enrich your soil. One doesnt have to spend their life in the garden, plant, water and harvest. I did buy a tea plant and have harvested the leaves, red clover, good idea! Wild violets good in salad. I only can what I could grow free. Fruit trees do take a lot of work but having a fig bush is easy. Same with having some grape vines will give you dessert too.
So true! The lunchroom waste at school in one day could easily feed our family of 6 for a month.
yes, you can get four meals from one chicken. I fed 5 people on $10 a week. I cut the chicken up, getting 6 meals from one chicken. #1 One breast thinly sliced with julienned vegetables over rice
#2 One breast cut into small nuggets, fried, make gravy, put over rice, potatoes or noodles
#3 Boil rest of chicken. divide in half. use one half of meat and broth to make chicken soup. This makes 2 meals
#4 Use rest of chicken and broth to make chicken and rice. 2 meals from this.
That is 6 meals from one chicken for 2 adults and 3 children.
FibroGranny C I make 5 meals from 1 rabbit. (we have a poultry allergy) rabbits generally weigh 1-2 lbs.
Yes, but you must buy other items to go WITH that CHICKEN, eh...man can NOT live by CHICKEN or BREAD or anything else ALONE, right? LOL. You mentioned rice, potatoes, noodles, gravy (cornstarch, bouillon cubes, or a jar of gravy.) People seem to forget that you have to stock a pantry, you have to buy things to go with the meal, and where I live we MUST buy water as we have LEAD in our water in our rented houses. I have only $36 a week in food vouchers. By the time I get more the following month, I'm blessed if I have any water and condiments left in the refrigerator so I have to spend $30 just to stock back up, let alone by "meal materials." People say go to food banks but as a heart and kidney patient, I can't just grab any ole thing, I am very limited in what I can eat so I have to be wise in what I buy...no white bread, only wheat, etc. I can't afford to buy meat at all. It's difficult being sick and poor and the drs say "eat vegies and fruit" not understanding perhaps on their big salaries that I can't afford it past mid-month.Ugh. Sorry, sometimes I just need to vent. Thanks for sharing. I hope it helps most people. :)
Hi Shelly, it seems you are smart. Would it be a possibility you'd go to the food bank anyway and just give away to others what you cannot use yourself? Maybe even trade some things. Like you don't eat white bread and they don't like carrots... win-win situation. Hope you'll get more health soon. Wishing you a nice day!
FibroGranny C wow
shellyslioneyes ..I totally understand what you’re saying. I’m a recovering breast cancer patient, and I have the same Dr’s orders to eat healthy. I’ve completely cut soy out, because there are too many studies that link soy to cancer. I don’t eat out unless it’s Chipotle, because every other place uses soy in everything. They even fry in soy oil. Getting off topic there...But I have not been able to work because I was so sick trying to get better, and groceries are expensive. You definitely do not need to buy organic, but we do need to buy a brush, and scrub our fruits and vegetables, organic or not. Also, if you have kids in sports or any active child, then I don’t believe a teeny bit of meat is enough to sustain them. Definitely not someone with health problems, who’s trying to recover. I need high protein, but with kidney problems, you might need a lot more vegetables, which are so expensive. I shopped today, just for myself, and to last 2 wks, and I spent over $150. That’s with only what I needed. No drinks, like they said is 1/3 of everyone’s bill, not mine. And I do not seek out organic, I clean everything. I think anyone feeding 5 ppl on one chicken, as in other comments, or using a roast for 4 days is a little crazy for an entire family. They might have had an orange and gotten their vitamin C, but there are a lot of other vitamins that we need, in sides, and etc, to not be malnourished! I also didn’t hear them mention beans! Or rice! I bought 12 lbs of beans today, for $12!! That’s not part of my 2 week grocery haul, but that’s a TON of beans, and can feed many mouths, for protein and nutrients. But I need seasonings, vegetables and etc for other vitamins and nutrients. Like you said, they’re not including that stuff. You definitely need a stocked pantry for protein to go that far. And lastly, I wholeheartedly DISAGREE with them saying that planting a garden will not save you money! They must be NUTS! Obviously, they’ve never had a garden. You do not need to buy plants. Start seedlings inside. There’s no free bread anymore, but there is free dirt everywhere. I plant green beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers every year. And I get a 5 lb bucket off of 2 rows of beans in my small garden per week! To buy fresh green beans at the store would cost 30 times the amount that you pay for a pack of seeds, and that’s only one week of beans! Beans reproduce until a frost. Same with tomatoes. I get hundreds and hundreds of tomatoes off of 8 plants!! 1 good sized tomato at my farmers market is $5! I supply enough for my entire extended family, both of my neighbors, and several friends. Plus I have tons that I freeze. Nothing gets lost in my freezer. I keep track and date everything! Cucumber season is shorter, but I get tons for summer, and I only do 2 plants, that I grow from seed. I plant a variety of peppers, from chili’s to Jalapeño and bell peppers, and I even dry a lot of the chili’s so I have crushed red peppers 🌶 for an entire year. I freeze and label the rest of the peppers that I get by October, and I’ve never run out, or had to buy them. I only have a 10x10 space for my garden, and I have a separate raised green bean bed. The amount of money that my garden saves me, and everyone else mentioned above is astronomical!! So that’s a huge lie, that gardening doesn’t save. It saves a TON!! And if we’re really trying to save money, why are they constantly peddling that cookbook of theirs?? Just watch the videos for free, and take from them what’s sensible. I think we all already have plenty of common sense. 🌷🤗🦋
I must say you two ladies are so refreshing. I've "known" my grocery store for years and shop almost strictly clearance. Truthfully I find it satisfying being self sufficient just as you describe. No debt, no stress!
I needed to hear that so much that it brought me tears. The stress of being in debt is more detrimental to your health than not eating perfectly all the time. I've been on Weight Watchers for a little over a year because I was like 40 pounds overweight from just mindlessly eating/stress eating all the time. Since I started I've spent almost $200 a week on groceries for just 2 people. Mind you, it's very expensive where I live but still...The point is, I'm spending all this money on healthy food but only work seasonally as a full time student...I've built $2,000 in debt in the last 6 months and I can feel that stress physically. It's so bad that when I go back to work, I spend the first 4 months trying to pay back the debt...Time to make a change. Need to change my mindset about food so I'm not overeating and understand I don't need to eat perfectly all the time.
I know this is old, but if you see this I just want to encourage you, you can do weight watchers without all the special foods. Focus on cheap fruits veggies and meat, season at home. You got this!! You are worth it!
I'm with you, I know this is old, but please, never go into debt over food!! There are far too many services out there that can help! I hope you got that under control and let your stress subside.
How amazing your mom was to figure out the Nutririon her family needed!
I love this! this is how I was raised by my mom. She was a single mother of 2 and worked 10-12 hr. and it didn't pay much. she like Jill would stretch a roast out for a few meals and also would use every bit of it also. and in the summer we would have a garden so that would be our veggies she would barter with people for the seeds and to til our soil patch so it would not cost he anything and us kids would tend to it during the summer while mom was at work. and we would have an abundance of veggies she learned how to can we never canned fruit like Jill said you have to add sugar and other stuff mom kept it simple and stuck with veggies and she taught me this and this is how I am with my own family. people alway use to say that my mom could grocery shop and she could. and I love my mom for giving/showing me that skill.
In england, during WWII, the government issued rationing coupons based on their understanding of basic nutritional needs at the time. Initial, people griped and there was a lot of hand wringing but after a while, helpful hints and neighborhood efforts to share and exchange things as per people's preferences, a whole new eating style emerged. Meat was usually something that showed up on the table once a week. In the roughly 6-7 years those restrictions and food management programs were in effect (It went beyond the years of the "hot war" because distribution and production of food needed time to recover), people got HEALTHIER. They lost weight, ate almost only real food, fewer tooth failures, etc. Just something to reflect on.
Far less cancer and heart disease during rationing days.
Um, they also had to forage and extreme garden and rear eat those animals that were off-ration like rabbit. It wasn’t as great as it sounds and the Ministry of Food had to put out recipes and tips to try to make awful foods stretch and be palatable. We are so spoiled today.
Jill you used good old common sense in your cooking . That is the way our generation was raised. Thanks for sharing with everyone!
Jackie Burkey j
Nothing made me more proud than when my son said to me that he was so glad we brought them up thinking they didn’t have to have the best of everything, spend and buy what is bellow your means, including a home. Even if you have a dual income, live as though you are one person. Then if something happens you don’t have to worry.
Esther chicago-
I paid $17,500 student loan, $1,590 medical bill, and $3,000 borowed from my husband retirement account. All came in to a place to pay off, and I have to listen to Jill hundreds of times to motivate and understand what Jill really means.
Growing up we raised chickens, had venison, a few caught fish and supplemented by 1/4 of a cow. We had a big garden and canned everything. I agree we were healthier and rarely went to the grocery store. We also didn't have much garbage. Organic food does not have more nutrients, but it is free of cancer causing chemicals from Monsanto
Your mom is awesome. I have been in the single mom trying to be healthy on a crazy low budget...it's a challenge but it's absolutely not impossible! It's nice to see someone caring enough to not just fill their kids but thinking about nutrients. Refreshing. I like you two.. straightforward, it's great! Subbed!
I realize not everyone is blessed with space for a veggy garden BUT if you are....Free Veggies. Buy GMO free seeds, use your own compost (no fertilizer required), save your own seeds for future growing and can, freeze dry, or store root veg in cool area.
A little physical effort can reap tons of free organic food year round!
I had 4 kids and was making $5.75 an hour back when they were young....I'd buy the cheese ends and make mac and cheese. A pound of pizza dough was a dollar so we had fried dough and sauce sprinkled with cheese....soup made everything go further. Cut out the extras and your money goes a lot further.
I felt bad cause grand kids wanted cookies. To high. I told them i have all the stuff to make homade ones. Cheap grandma or good now they know how to make. Had fun as well
oh my god we ATE the exact same way.... and no one was fat and no one was hungry no packaged food .
makeupgal G. R hey look ↖↖↖... Your avatar looks like a brown plain M&M!!! 😄
Someone was sending you money? That's so sweet. 🙂 Thank you for sharing. My husband and I actually make a good living, but I like to live frugally because I don't want to be wasteful with my hard earned money. I do but some "luxury" stuff but more of as a treat.
Mama Jill you are beautiful inside and out! You're such a strong woman and just radiate the joy of the Lord! Thanks for all the great tips your daughter and you give! May God bless you and your family! 😍🙏♥️
Eating less and eliminating drinks will save a ton. Great tips.
This is one of the best, most practical talks on nutrition and eating, food budgets, etc. that I have heard in a loooong time. From a new mom w/ a baby, thank you!
Going to start tomorrow with my shopping and see what I can get cheaper I dont owe anybody anything, but its better the money in my purse then the shops.
Admittedly we were not through survival mode, and my Mum's prefered 'relaxing' activity was gardening amd teaching me how to grow things, and then to cook with the things (and we had a garden, and lucked into the right soil for what my Mum liked growing, and typically did! Mainly because we tended to make things that had a tomato base). My Mum would make things like cheats spaghetti bolognaise and typical tomato sauces for pasta, with added sneaked in veggies, and would make enough back up meals in her old crocky slow cooker thing for part of the year, or a basic tomato sauce with cheapy garlic stuff in, so that the meat or whatever could be added in at the time. We were lucky that we had decent freezers, couldn't taste any freezer burn (although a layer of charcoal helps!), my Mum would spend time sorting and cleaning cupboards and freezers on a regular basis, and my Mum had lots of paid holiday time to do this in (as she was a teacher!). We used the tomatoes that wouldn't stop growing, the whatever else my Mum grew etc, when it was ripe to make meals up for later in the year, so in winter we'd have the summer tomatoes in spaghetti. I like how my Mum used a stress reducing activity she liked, to give us many meals throughout the year for a low amount of money, and high nutritional value, we also had very many teachable moments. Seeing my Mum calm and reassured that she had things to help contribute to the family, and doing something that she liked for herself... that look in her bodily expression, face expression, movements, and voice, is better to me than the most expensive toy invented! My Dad worked full time, and so did my Mum, they managed the money, and general household running etc as a unit, and neither wanted to keep things from or lie to the other, so when I proudly (or panicly/unsuredly) approached a parent about the other parent's birthday or special occasion... the surprise was often ruined by the day! I feel so fortunate that my Mum taught me to be thrifty (our 'big deal' thing was going to all the charity shops in town together!), and I feel so fortunate that my parents were such a united team regarding all matters. I felt so very safe with that situation as a child. I liked that my parents showed me how much communication is needed and wanted in a relationship, and that showed me that thoughts behind actions or items are often more important and more hidden than the gift, and are needed to be told. We ended up buying cheapy presents, but having a thought or memory and writing about it as part of a present is more meaningful for them. I bought my Dad a 'tortoise themed' present thing for a big birthday, and I gave him a big showy present, a pencil with a wooden tortoise end to it, and some other things. I wrote about what a tortoise means and in connection to my Dad, I then wrote about why I bought the pencil (at the time I thought I needed to justify it and eventually apologise regarding that gift!). I wrote about how talented my Dad is about thinking through things, from scale diagrams to just rough drawings, to complete scale based room with scale based movable things (for basic things like reorganisation of furniture beforehand!), and that I liked how well and thoroughly he plans things, and wrote it to him. The tortoise pencil was put away somewhere and so I figured he threw it away or something, but whenever there was some kind of major project where my Dad might need to note something to draw something, out this specific pencil would come (other times an automatic pencil would be there because 'it is more precise'!). Needless to say, I feel tons of relief, and can't help beaming when I see it near a 'current big project planning' thing! He even confessed that he didn't want to use it much, because he didn't want to use it up (and was almost crying as if using it up would hurt my feelings!), I almost cried because it was so unexpected that he liked it so much. From that point on, I've always done thought over present, and spent time thinking and stressing on what to write rather than buying elaborate and/or expensive presents! My parents are redoing a house at the moment, and I am trying to save money up (whilst on a low budget!) to help them incase they need some money to get some extra people in to help them with something (or buy something they can't afford, or to just help them get further ahead and in more comfort quicker!).
My mother use to feed us that way and we were so healthy and happy. Thank you for this video.
I just love the joy that shines through Jill.I respect her so much, such a genuine personality.You guys make such great videos and they always feel so "homely" Greetings from freezing Holland
Homey indeed!
Talk to much get to the way to save
Xio Van Dijk I'm sure you meant "homey". "Homely" means "ugly".
$7.00 a week to my family would be a blessing from god. It is great to see someone else that knows what a person need to have all or more than what they need and be greatefull and never be hungray
You had a guardian angel sending you that money every week. I hope that they have gotten rewarded in turn. What a beautiful gesture! New to your channel and I'm looking forward to listening to the PPM series! I've already cut down my food budget (it's just me) from $400 to $200 last month and I'm setting a goal for $150 for this month. Meal planning and smart grocery list/planning has been the key thing for me. I'm in my 50's and have JUST learned to cook! My average meals are coming out to about $3!
I drink water all the time. I won't eliminate coffee but I don't have to at this time. I just cut down on the amount I drink.
I remember a year or so when my father went to trade school in another state, we ate potatoes, carrots, and onions in gravy, with deviled ham on Fridays. My mother worked at a dime store and earned a whopping $1.10 an hour, out if which she paid rent, utilities, food, and whatever else. We had no car so we walked everywhere. In later years, my mother mentioned the fact that during that time, none of us got sick. There were five of us: mom and four kids.
As far as your take on organic foods: it's true. Nutritionally, they are pretty close. BUT, organic foods do not have the vestiges of antibiotics or growth hormones or steroids. That's why people tend to buy organic.
Also, the wheat and corn available to us today are genetically modified and do damage to the human body over time. They are not the wheat and corn my parents and grandparents farmed! I have had no choice but to cut grains from my diet, so it is more expensive for groceries. But, I'd rather pay the grocery bill than tolerate IBS and other health issues that have resolved since changing my food lifestyle!
My mom would have spaghetti Wednesday every week with salad. Then other days we might have beans with cornbread made from scratch with fried potatoes for dinner. Also we would make homemade biscuits for breakfast sometimes with our mom and have chocolate gravy with it. We also made chili and whatever we could make. Now me and my husband and our son make homemade bread and make homemade chicken nuggets from chicken and bread crumbs from the ends of the bread we made. Also I make homemade pancakes some mornings or some mornings I heat up some oatmeal and add brown sugar and cinnamon to it especially during the winter for my son before school. Also we make our own cinnamon raisin bread because the ones at the store cost 4 or 5 dollars for a very small loaf. We get a huge loaf and we eat that for breakfast. Also my husband is learning to make cream cheese and our own butter.
Sometimes my Mom made chocolate gravey with biscuits, never had a friend who had it. Glad to see you know about it. . What a treat.Occasionally had fried round potatoe on a Biscuit sandwich. So good! Cabbage , boiled potatoes, cornbread. squash. Many lovely things!There was always chicken and rice as a staple in my Grandmothers kitchen. And fresh fruits and vegetables. So delicious!
I never new we were poor growing up, we never went hungry, always had 3 meals homemade everything😊 I remember milk toast for breakfast, yummy😁 and creamed tuna over toast, we had a orange and lemon tree in the backyard, my mother baked bread, raisin bread, dinner rolls. When I think of my childhood and the wonderful things, I think of the tasty dishes mom fixed and the great conversations!
I grew up the same way. It's funny that now that my husband and I make a very good living, I still prefer the 'poor' food....hamburger soup, creamed tuna on toast. YUM. I"m thankful for the childhood i had. It taught me to be frugal and thankful.
Sonya Vasile fabuloso guys past it on am teaching my daughter .how my grandmothers raised there kids in the Island of Puerto Rico which by the way has a rich soil .
Spaghetti Wednesdays! I remember those. I think one of the pasta manufacturers had that as a slogan.
If you are looking to replace spices go to the bulk food store or bulk section of your grocery store. I replaced all my spices (18 of them) for under $6.00. And if I want a chili spice blend I go on the internet and make my own. I have to say I like my own spice mixes better than the store bought one's.
IF you live in a small town that doesn't have a store that carries bulk spices, you can look in the Hispanic section for them. You can get a little baggie with a zipper top full of cilantro for $.69 where I live. I use this more than any other spice or herb, and it is just as good as the stuff that costs $4 in the spice section!!!
The only store near me that has bulk spices is Whole Foods and I end up spending more than if I bought the jarred. I don't know how you could do that on $6.00? Where did you shop?
You can also order bulk spices online from places like Amazon and Walmart (if you shop there). For example, where I live, a 4 oz jar of coriander seed is $8 at the grocery store, but I've ordered it online in 1 lb bags for under $3. I've started doing this with ALL herbs and spices and divide it with friends and family. We all share, and we all save a LOT of money.
Amazon charges tax where other sites don't. I'll buy online in a heartbeat.
Ann Dailey I do the same. I buy a big bag of Oregano for like $1.50 in the Hispanic section. Lasts me a long time and I use oregano daily.
I relate to this so much. I was the youngest of four when my Mom and Dad divorced. Mom stayed home and we lived on child support. No phone, no washer dryer, no car. From the time I was 4 years old until I was 21.
This is great. It takes me back to the good times with my grandma. She used to have little juice glasses that were actually the little glasses left over from the cheese bread she used to use on holidays. They held about half a cup. And when we did have a glass of juice that was all we had. Make sure your tap water is healthy. Ours ended up getting chemicals in it from a chemical plant about 7 miles away and we ended up with genetic defects. My granddaughter died from that. That's your problem with on organic is the chemicals that cause the mutations. Thanks so much for sharing I really enjoyed it!
Thank you! My mom had juice glasses. I had no idea until I was a teenager that people had more than half a cup of juice at a time
My rent is $450 and that is very cheap in a crappy neighborhood. I don't understand how this living on $500 is even possible. I could live in my van but it's cold outside. Heck, it's cold inside.
Mom paid off her house before she got sick.
Living On A Dime thanks I didn't know that information then it makes since how she did it.
I Walk, You Lead Well think of it this way.1.)The house was paid off.
2.)When she lived on $500 a month in the 80s.
3.)If you looked at inflation, $500 in 1980 is about $1,500 now.
4.)Some of our disabled Americans have no choice but to live on $500 a month.
What you can learn from these lovely ladies is discipline,perseverance,and gump.
I didin't hear what year it was that she was living on 500 a month, apparantely when all the kids were home and small.
No, we were teenagers. From the time I was about 8 until I left home.
My biggest bill a month is on groceries so I love videos like this ! My husband and I are trying to start living on a budget we make ok money but spend way too much
Dollar Stores especially Dollar treee!
Groceries are very expensive in Canada. More than mortgage.
What a great mom, smart and truly beautiful
I think that a great staple would be dried beans and rice. So cheap and makes many portions. Plus the combination of the rice and beans creates all the amino acids that you need!
Ruthie I agree, we eat a lot of beans, at least one to three times a week. My son is picky, now doesn't like meat, but we don't have it every day either. We love rice and beans, it's cheap, easy, delicious and nutritious.
Yep. I live in Brazil. Rice and beans are a must here. They also freeze great (freshly cooked beans, not canned once).
My girls and I eat lots of rice and beans. Being on disability means that we don't have enough money after paying rent. I use veggie peels and scraps to make broth i freeze them until I can make a stockpot full. We rarely ever eat meats, and we eat lots of clearance fruits and vegetables. I have dairy allergy so we spend a bit more on getting almond milk for myself though.
Blue zone areas people eat bean soup everyday!
I do not eat meat, dairy, eggs, salt, sugar or oil. Instead have greens, beans, onions, mushroom, berries and seeds. Like you, I cured many of my health probs, lots of beans and rice and veg. Bananas so cheap. I save tons.
Wow, your Mom has so much wisdom and has a huge heart to pass it on to the next generation! Thank you! Very insightful!
I smiled when I heard you say giving up coffee. Before I retired, I drank a whole pot of coffee in the morning BEFORE I left for work and then I was in the coffee club at work and drank coffee there till around 1130 am. :-) Since I retired, (I'm disabled) I have coffee twice a week. That's 2 cups 2 days a week. The other 5 days, NO coffee. And guess what? I managed with that like you're doing here! Thanks for the great info!
My eldest son, the first word he learnt how to read at just two years old was the word "free" every time I took him shopping he would look for the buy one get one free sign and say mum mum freee ;)
Cassie Bird the first word I could read was, "see," lol
@cassie. That's awesome my son loves free stuff from the trash
MammaCass Soaping Spoonie that’s so cute! At 67, that was the first word I learned also!
We are a family of 5. I spend 300.00 a WEEK! I'll be watching these 2 ladies very closely. Getting ready to save a bunch of money..
Sindy Frischman we were a family of four, my son moved out this past May so now it's 3 and I do notice I spend less but still way more than $21 (7×3) a week, I couldn't even begin to figure it out!
You mom is so a sweet person.you are lucky to have her in your life.my mom was doing the same and we was healthy and never get sick or had allergy.
Sorry, I disagree about the garden. I had a nice garden and I did not buy special soil or anything. There are frugal ways of fertilizing a garden. My friend's husband would take a wheelbarrow down to the river at certain times of the year and gather seaweed for his garden. His garden was the envy of the neighborhood! You can find the other free sources of garden fertilizer depending on what's around you.
I've been a gardener for almost 30 years and 90% of it has been free. Gardening can and is pretty much free for me BUT for the average non gardening person they think they have to spend a lot to get started gardening and then get frustrated and don't end up with much not because it's not a good way to save but because they hate gardening did all this work and it isn't worth it. So if you are growing veggies for a hobby and like to garden and save money doing it then it's great but if you are doing it just to save on groceries I wouldn't do it. I didn't clarify that.
Yes, it sounded like you didn't think you could ever save money by gardening. I can't do it where I live now because the soil is bad, the water is bad, and I would have to truck too much stuff in. When I was living where I had a great garden I was able to save on my groceries because of it.
MotherOfManyHorses we fertilize our garden with garbage fish we get from the river, our mulch pile and whenever we find out about manure . I can a lot, meat, fruit, vegetables and dry beans. When I eat I eat a lot of vegetables and cook from scratch.
MotherOfManyHorses I also disagree with her on the garden and canning, I save lots with it. I have never used special soil or anything and use my produce to can for almost free.
I've been a gardener for almost 30 years and 90% of it has been free. Gardening can and is pretty much free for me BUT for the average non gardening person they think they have to spend a lot to get started gardening and then get frustrated and don't end up with much not because it's not a good way to save but because they hate gardening did all this work and it isn't worth it. So if you are growing veggies for a hobby and like to garden and save money doing it then it's great but if you are doing it just to save on groceries I wouldn't do it. I didn't clarify that.
My moms dad left the family when there were the 5 kids. My mom was raised on day old bread from the bakery, powdered milk, and grandma also has a very precise menu. My mom would ask her to once in awhile to get 6 tacos(or something like that) for $1 at Taco Bell back in the 60s, but my grandma was on such a strict budget they never could get that.
Wonderful video, ladies! I am appalled when shopping, to see all the junk that Mothers put in their carts to feed their children . That money could be spent on wholesome foods that could add nutrition to their diets, instead of health & behavior issues. Most of these junk items are loaded with harmful chemicals & additives [many are addictive]. PLEASE read the reply I made below to Lyn Hannah's comment.
It is so true about the children's lunches! I work in elementary-aged childcare, and when they brought cold lunches in the summer, I was SHOCKED at how much they wanted to just throw away every day! When it became a pattern with a child, I would have them take the uneaten food home so that THEY had to explain to their parents why they had eaten their chips and cookie and left all of the nutritious food untouched.
Your mom is tooooooooo ADORABLE!!!! And so SMART
My husband and I spend about 1,000 per month. I am saving my receipts for the month and see what we are buying that we don’t need or to cut back on items. You’ve got great ideas, thank you ❤️
O.k., we do buy water. BUT, our town's well was contaminated. We buy the store brand gallon jugs, less than a $1.
Our Walmart and some other stores have a water station where you can bring your own empty jugs and fill them with purified water for about 38 cents a gallon. It's a hassle, but it's cheaper than buying the jugs, plus you reuse the jugs so you don't drown under plastic waste. I have a well, but the water doesn't' agree with me. I recently bought a Berkey water filter for my tap water, and while it was an investment, it's saving me a lot of work taking jugs and filling them. Years ago we rented a reverse osmosis unit, and that really gave us nice drinking water!
Hey Tawra hope you are doing good. I don't remember how many times I watched this video and its so inspiring. Your mom is indeed a beautiful and intelligent lady. Love you both..!!!
My parents grew up during the depression and we were raised very frugally. Not so sure I could give up coffee totally, but I'm down to one cup in the morning. Planning on trying some of your ideas for saving.
You have inspired me! You are so right! I grew up eating that way and fed my own kids that way. I need to get back to 3 small meals a day and no snacking. After the kids grew up I started eating badly. I need to get back in line.
Cabbage has Vit C....a bag of slaw mix is $1.....grate in some carrot,. tsp white vinegar,, oil or mayo...boom! Great on chicken tacos or as a side. We eat lots of apples, spinach, tons of celery, kale, green beans, carrots, onions...whatever's cheap...fill up on soups...vegies n lentils. Sprout some beans....make a stir fry with celery, onions and a handful of frozen peas. Almost everything I've mentioned is only $1. Beans are cheaper than meat. Chop apples into cookies, use oatmeal and/or peanut butter to keep cookies on the healthy side.
Loved visiting , volumes to learn right here on what truly matters!!! Beautiful Mom and Daughter relationship...more about love, team work,
Encouragement.....less about the nonessentials !!! Way to go family!!❤️👍
I'm so impressed w your Mom very clever and hard working. Dad should be in jail that's child abandonment AND just plain wrong and mean.
Having my own garden has saved me SO much money & I can ensure that the produce is not coated with pesticides and harmful chemicals. Growing your own food is a huge blessing - a little sweat in the garden won't hurt you ;)
I try to watch my grocery money but it never seems to stretch far enough :) I do have a teenage boy in my home so that does explain some of it. You can have nice cuts of meat and stuff too if you watch for the good sales - I got sirloin steaks last night - paid 10.47 and there is enough steak to feed my grandson and I for 3 meals - that felt good and the steak was delicious last night :)
I'm always inspired by these super frugal grocery tips. My kids are all "grown and gone" now, but we sure learned how to get by on a lot less than most people we knew when they were all small and at home. We still laugh over some of my creativity back then. None of us starved, and the money we saved helped us to live on one income. Thanks for posting common sense information and addressing the difference between needs and wants (speaking of the cars). So many today don't seem to understand the differences. I'm a new subscriber and I can't wait to watch all the videos!
Mom used to ask the butcher for the lunch meat ‘ends’ for a fraction of the price of the more even slices. It wasn’t pretty but in a family of four kids it was a welcome way to mix up the variety of lunch meat sandwiches.
I really enjoyed your video because my mom taught her five daughters to shop like you. She did that in the 1950s , 60s and 70s when we were home .I taught my daughter and we taught her two sons. We all look for bargains and markdowns.
Thank you for taking me back a few years . My mom would have had her 94 th birthday the other day ( May 27 ) and she's been on my mind and heart....I remembered her writing out her grocery list and planning the meat we would have for the week. We had a dad , mom and five girls at home . I loved the memories. She made a roast or hamburger go for so many meals. Thank you so much . God bless you both.
Thank you, 7 dollar person ! God bless you.
This is the way I was raised. I agree totally. I didn't feel hungry between meals. Your meat was portioned at supper. We didn't have frozen pizza etc. or soda at all. Why and where did I go wrong? My 3 teenagers are hungry all the time. They truly are the grazers. I do portion meat at supper and have the meal at 5pm. I don't remember my mom coming home with bags of food. Thank you for the reminder of my roots!!!!
Once ,I made soup out of a can of tomato paste, it was all we had. I put mace to flavor it. This was back in 1979 or 80 . We never had much to eat but we got by I had 30$ a week grocery budget.
You guys are a true blessing.... and it is sad that MOST people, would not even try to budget, or live on limited quantities like this! Thanks for sharing!
I haven't gotten my grocery bill down as low as I'd like to yet but I utilize food pantries to help us out because they provide lots of beans, noodles and canned goods which completes a meal. I have cut down a whole lot on junk food.. I buy it as treats now instead of just having it to graze on. I keep a bag of popcorn tho cuz that's my weakness! Lol but i cook everything from scratch and make alot of 2 and 3 ingredient things.
I had my kids making their own lunches by age 8. They also made their own snacks, pikelets,mini muffins and cup cakes, I did the oven. I only ever had popcorn in my cupboard, no other snacks. All their friends were jealous and wanted to cook as soon as they walked in the front door! 😄
Im LOVING this. My mother and I just had a conversation about how much food gets wasted. Im trying to figure out how to make my food stretch. And, Im looking for recipes that are easy. I was trying to find a pot pie recipe that didnt have 100 ingredients. So, I had to call my mother...and of course she led me in the right direction. So glad I stumbled upon this video!! Thanks ladies! But, I will be gardening and canning. Cuz I wanna! ;)
To the mother - You are amazing. You were so strong and wise. Look at you now, you made it to a better life.
Oooo ladies... this brings back precious memories... 17 family members under our roof.. Mom, dad and us siblings... never went hungry...we harvested seafood, gardens and preserved a lot of our bounty and a treat from grandparents farm such as lard, salted pork, butter and cornmeal from afar. Yes, dad worked 40+ years before retirement from shipbuilding and mom outside home for many of those years... yes, we were often offered things from others from time to time but mom always said thanks but please give that to someone who needs it... No government handouts were included in our household. NO! Mom again said we are fine and just carried on. And we did... Thanks for your representation because it was so real for of family frugality was passed on to me and I still practice >>waste not, want not... Continual health and strength and many, many Blessings to both of you mama’s😍😊
I have you say I'm very jealous of you for having your mother still. My mama dies in 88 when i was 30. We did lots together. Watching yall makes me cry but i try to stick with yall.
I really appreciate you all sharing your story. I have a very similar story as a child. I am now using these money saving technics with my family!!
Thank you for all of your information. My husband and I live on a fixed income and our granddaughter and two greats live with us as well. We need to cut our expenses drastically or we will all be out on the street. Thank you so much for writing a cookbook that we could afford and that will help us cut back. My mom knew how to do these things as well, but she passed and I had forgotten in our good years how to "make do, or do without."
Hey ladies, alot f people including me....buy thin skinned fruits or veggie organically,, its not just about nutrients its also the pesticides that are used on the non organics.Jst wanted to let you know it s not just about the nutrient factor.Love your video.
We were a family of 6, my dad was a big man 6'4 and 1/2"my two brothers had big appetites too, growing lads. Mum was an ex army cook and she would rustle up hearty dinners out of anything available. Often though in the evenings she would bring in supper a tray of baked potatoes to eat around the fire together, they must have been plentiful. She would also make huge dishes of cheese and potato pie... very filling with crusty bread and any left over bread was made into a tray of bread pudding that dad would have for lunch at work. Rice puddings, suet puddings, macaroni puddings all made to fill up hungry men .
It’s all great advise, except for the canning. It is cheaper to buy some foods, but if you are given the bottles, are given the fruit or veg, or are allowed to glean it, and use the low sugar recipes, it is cheaper if you have a large family. I have done the price comparisons and it IS worth the money if you have a big family, and if you are reusing the supplies. Other than that, great advise.
I've found that I can buy 60 count Eggs for $3.15 rather than paying $1.??/doz, $2.??/18 count. The 60 count lasts the month or longer. We used to have Orange & a Peach tree in our backyard growing up, used a succulent plant there in the yard to cut the orange when I wanted it cut & washed hands @ the outdoor faucet. Never had to go in the house until we had to go to the bathroom. My kids, I'd climbe the Mulberry tree each day to pick a bowl full, wash them & have them in the fridge long enough for them to be cool when the kids got home from school. I grew Tomatoes ($.79/plant) planted in the ground ( using Epsom Salt, I keep in the house anyway, coffee grounds from neighbors {I don't drink coffee} & Eggs Shells) & it turned into a massive plant spreading out & I used a telescoping clothes rack (fully extended) & it/they were growing over the top, never had less than 80 (Cherry) tomatoes @ a time (always enough to share with my neighbors. Now they are bringing me Coffee grounds again & picking up onions (collected seeds from Wild Onions & cost me nothing).
That's a great saying many people today live to eat back in the old days we just ate to live.
I eat to live! I smell food and will get HUGE!
I do spend on soda, tea, coffee. I save by keeping my utilities low. Best way to keep the water low is showering at the gym, I only shave and wash clothes and dishes. I save there so I can get what I want to eat. I eat a lot of beans and rice but I put a lot of meat in the beans. I do the beans soup so I just cook one large pot each week. I have other meals like sandwiches,hot pockets, chimichungas. To me it's more about not eating out, talk about blowing through cash and gaining weight.